Rotary steam-engine



(No Model.)

T. SHIVERIGK 85 L. J. WYNN.

ROTARY STEAM ENGINE.

No. 357,868. Patented Feb. 15, 1887.

IIVI/ENTOR ATTORNEY.

WITNESSES 613: A327: 6. Ma-aw UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS SHIVERIOK AND LEANDER J. WYNN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ROTARY STEAM-ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 357,863, dated February15, 1887.

Application filed February 23, 1886, Serial No. 192,529. (No model.)

thecut-offs form steam-tight bearings against To aZZ whom it mayconcern.-

Be it known that we, THOMAS Sr-rrvnnrorr and LEANDER J. WYNN, citizensof the United States, and residents of Chicago, Cook county, State ofIllinois, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Rotary SteamEngines, of which the following is a specification, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention, in which-Figure I is a face view of an engine embodying our invention, with .onehead-plate removed to give a view of the interior construction; Fig. II,a central section taken on line at, Fig. I; Fig. III, a face view of theengine with the face-plate and cylinder removed to show the form of thecamgroove; Fig. IV, a transverse section of one of the piston-guides andpiston therein on line 9, Fig. I, both heads being shown.

This invention relates to an improvement in rotary steam engines whichmay be run in either direction; and the novelty thereof consists in theform of the cam-grooves, which direct the movement of the four pistonsto and from the periphery of the case, whereby steam is taken anddischarged in the cylinder at points which are substantially a quarterof the circle from each other. The ad vantage of this is, steam is takenin to bear against the four pistons at each revolution of thepiston-wheel, whereby there is a more uniform pressure of steam in thecase and an easier movement of the pistons than in other constructionsknown to the art, as the whole is hereinafter described and shown.

A represents the periphery of the case, and L L are the heads thereof,of ordinary construction except the cam-grooves.

G is the piston-wheel, consisting of a hub, piston'guide arms or platesB B B B, and a central shaft, J, which is driven by the piston-wheel inthe ordinary manner to give motion to a drive-wheel, K. The periphery ofthe wheel G has formed therein an annular groove whose radial sectioncoincides with,

the cylinder A. Packing F, however, may. be employed to insure a perfectcut-off, ifdesired.

The pistons'U are formed to have reciprocating movements in theguidearms B, and to be projected to the inner surface of the cylinder A,and to be drawn in by the cam-groove by anti-friction attachmentsrunning in the groove, so as to pass the cut-offs E. As a matter ofconstruction, the piston-wheel is formed of an inner core, M, and anouter plate, B, bolted to each side thereof, in the ordinary manner ofengine-work, and to relieve the V valves 0 from unequal pressuresteam-ports like the one shown at I may extend from the' annular groovein the wheel to their inner ends, and to attain proper bearings for thepistons they may run in grooves N, formed radially in the plates 13.

Both edges of the pistons G are provided with ordinary anti-frictiontraveling guides or pivoted rollers a, running in a cam-groove, which isformed as follows: The channel is cut as deep as the rollers a are longand of a Width corresponding to their diameter. The lower portion of thecam from P to Q is a fourth of a circle, and that portion from V to WVis the segment of and a quarter of asmaller circle than I Q, and thoseportions from Q to W on the right of the cam and from P to V on the leftthereof are curves best calculated to ease the movements of the rollersa from the one segment to the other. tion divides the cylinder A in fourquarters, one quarter from P to Q. and the two others between P and thecut-off E on that side of the cam, and between Q and the cut-off E onthe other side of the cam, the last quarter being the cut-off portion ofthe case from E to E.

b shows the slots which allow the pivots c to the rollers a to moveradially.

Dotted lines 7L, Fig. I, show the throw of the pistons G in moving fromthe inner surfaces of the cut-offs to the cylinder A. The steamports areshown to pass into the case at the right and left of the cutoffs E E,and they may pass through the heads L or the cylinder A, and either onemay take or exhaust-steam, as may be required for the direction thepiston-wheel is to run.

This construc- V Having thus described our invention, what we claim asnew, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- In rotarysteam-engines having an exterior 5 case composed of a cylinder, A, andheads L L, the piston-Wheel B G, with its reciprocating pistons, incombination, the cams in the heads which are formed each on a small andlarge Segment of a circle, and the interspaces formed on curved lines toserve as a continu 1o ous guide for the rollers a, and the cut-offs E,placed inside of the steam-ports m m, as specified.

THOMAS SHIVERIGK. LEANDER J. WYNN. Vitnesses:

GEORGE L. CHAPIN, SAMUEL M. BITTER.

